Trump says Iran war is "effectively over" as Gulf leaders urge restraint

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the war in Iran is "effectively over," while saying the United States remained ready to act again if the situation changed. He spoke at a White House press conference after Oval Office talks with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to The Guardian.

Trump said at the briefing that escalating the US military campaign against Iran did not seem necessary. He said there was momentum toward ending the conflict and that it would end fairly soon. He also said Israel and Gulf allies were well protected from Iran, and that the United States was "locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason." He added that resuming full-scale military action seemed quite unlikely.

The Qatari prime minister had lobbied Trump, alongside other Gulf countries, not to resume fighting against Iran. Trump later wrote on Truth Social that the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait preferred that a naval blockade against Iran continue. A naval blockade is a restriction, enforced by warships, on ships entering or leaving a country's coast.

The campaign itself dates to March 1, 2026, when Trump authorised Operation Epic Fury. The White House said at the time that the operation was meant to crush the Iranian regime and end the nuclear threat. Trump said on Monday that Iran would not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

The meeting with the Qatari prime minister took place while the administration was exploring a potential agreement with Tehran, according to KATV.

The announcements come against a domestic political backdrop. The United States continued to move troops to the Middle East in the run-up to the midterm elections, in which Republicans lost both houses of Congress. Vice President JD Vance said the Iran war was a key reason for the party's defeats.